Jameka A Dominant Winner Of The Caulfield Cup
Jameka defeated Godolphin’s raider Scottish (Teofilo), with third placed Exospheric (Beat Hollow) another three quarters of a length away. Time was 2:28.88 with the last 600 metres covered in 35.72.
The mare’s easy victory prompted the VRC’s handicapper to give Jameka a 1.5 kilogram penalty for 1 November’s $6,000,000 Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) taking her weight to 53.5 kilograms but this may not prevent her from completing the Cups double, last achieved in 2001 by another four-year-old mare in Ethereal (Rhythm) who carried 52 kilograms to win at Flemington. A bigger hurdle for Jameka to overcome may be the strong sprinting elements in her pedigree, casting some doubt on her staying an extra 800 metres compared to the Caulfield Cup distance.
But Jameka’s ability to not only win the Caulfield Cup but also the 2015 VRC Crown Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) has already confounded pedigree analysts in the interpretation of her pedigree, by Myboycharlie (Danetime), winner of the Prix Morny (Gr 1) over 1200 metres as a two-year-old, from a mare by General Nediym (Nediym), an ultra brilliant two-year-old and short course sprinter.
Jameka’s sire Myboycharlie, who stands at Vinery Stud in NSW for a 2016 fee of $11,000 (inc GST), now has 13 stakes winners to his credit, others among them female Group One winners Euro Charline (in the United States) and in Australia Peggy Jean (ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m)).
Her dam Mine Game is by General Nediym, fast building a fine reputation as a broodmare sire as other stakes winners produced by his daughters include the young sire Sizzling (Snitzel), Hey Doc (Duporth), General Truce (Brief Truce), Lilliburlero (Redoute’s Choice), Palazzo Pubblico (Conatus), Flippant (Hinchinbrook), Anagold (Anabaa), Military Reign (Universal Ruler), Twickenham (Artie Schiller) in Singapore and promising three-year-old Guard of Honour (Northern Meteor).
The breeding background of Jameka certainly suggests potential to perform over sprinting trips as a two-year-old and she lived up to that expectation with victory in the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) as an autumn juvenile when prominent throughout to score by a length. As a three-year-old last spring she was stepped up in distance, finishing second to Stay With Me (Street Cry) in the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) before successive wins in the Moonee Valley Vase (Gr 2, 2040m) and the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m).
Resuming in the autumn of 2016, Jameka failed to win during that preparation although she ran well in top company, finishing third in Tarzino’s (Tavistock) Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m), second in Tavago’s (Tavistock) Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and fourth behind Sofia Rosa (Makfi) in the Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
This spring, Jameka won the Naturalism Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) in decisive fashion and was runner up to Hartnell (Authorized) in the Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), beaten three and a quarter lengths, before her Caulfield Cup triumph.
Jameka was bred by Rick Jamieson’s Gilgai Farm, famous for previously producing unbeaten champion Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and her half-brother All Too Hard (Casino Prince). As a good individual with an attractive pedigree she sold for $130,000 at the 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Her dam Mine Game (General Nediym) won over 1400 metres in Melbourne before injury restricted her racing career and when retired to stud first foaled country 2000 metre winner Logovardi (Nadeem) before producing Jameka as her second foal. After Jameka came the smart two-year-old Nikitas (Snitzel), a multiple stakes placegetter.
Rick Jamieson plans to retain Mine Game’s Shamus Award (Snitzel) yearling filly and the mare has recently been tested in foal to her 2016 service by Myboycharlie so is carrying a full relation to Jameka.
Mine Game is a half-sister to Canterbury Guineas (Gr 1, 1900m) winner Jymcarew (Danzero) so Jameka is bred on broadly similar lines to that gelding, both by Danehill-line sires.
The presence of Derby winners Grosvenor (Sir Tristram) and The Minstrel (Northern Dancer) adds both class and classic stamina to Mine Game’s pedigree background as does her third dam Warfever (Luthier), a Grade One winner in the United States and a half-sister to important winners and producers Waya (Faraway Son) and Warsaw (Bon Mot).
Stakes–winning sire High Rolling (Snippets) and speedy two-year-old filly Chance Bye (Snitzel) are other feature winners in Australia for this international family which traces back to influential producer Gold Lily (Gold Bridge), Jameka’s seventh dam.
Gold Lily’s foals included Bob Cherry (Bobsleigh), a multiple sprint stakes winner in Britain before importation to Australia where he won the 1953 Futurity Stakes (now Gr 1, 1400m) under a huge weight before achieving some success as a sire in NSW. Other past Australian sires to descend from Gold Lily are Gaul (Alycidon), Ballymacad (Kelly) and Canvasser (T.V. Lark).
Jameka has a well constructed and well balanced pedigree dominated by four lines of Northern Dancer (Nearctic) but also containing many outcross lines.